Chicago Reader: We see a show and later learn that it had to close abruptly. We can empathize with the actors’ disappointment and distress because we can visualize their faces and recall their voices. But how has the pandemic impacted those we see only briefly in the lobby as we enter or don’t see at all? How are they managing this crisis?
3 comments:
I think that this article was really interesting to me in a lot of ways. Coming into theatre school in the middle of a pandemic, I was scared if I was making the right choice because I don’t have a good safety net to fall back on. The pandemic has really affected so many lives, and especially for those backstage, who are often forgotten and overworked, I was especially scared. However, near the end of the article, it tells a story of how responsive and empowering the community is. Despite falling on hard times, the community all had a singular voice of hope. Nobody seemed to think “Well, this is it”. Rather, all these people seemed to take temporary measures in order to stay afloat, and wait eagerly for the day that they can all come back to the stage. I love the passion for everyone involved in theatre, not only just the people who perform on the stage, but also the crew helping backstage, even though they are never seen.
Reading this article was kind of gut-wrenching. I remember exactly when we were sent home from school on March 13th, 2020, and then again when our production of the Addams Family was canceled for good. It does hurt and it still stings to think about all of the art that was lost because of the pandemic. My high school director is friends with Lili-Anne Brown, the director of School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play, and I took a Representation in Theatre course in the fall term of 2020 where she came and talked to us about her experiences. Learning more about just how devastating it was to close that incredible show is really eye-opening to me. I resonate with “I had to put on the “stage manager face” because at the end of the day it is your job as stage manager to keep your entire cast and crew safe regardless of how that change might affect you as well. I have had to make calls on shows that have devastated my peers but it was for the safety of my theatre department. Safety has become much more of a first priority across the world but it has been especially noticeable for the theatre industry. If you’re sick, you stay home, or at least that’s the hope. Not everyone is on board with these new ideals but maybe it will get better. This article gave me a moment to mourn the loss of the shows since the pandemic and appreciate all of the work I put into them. I am feeling grateful to be in person again.
This article not only focusses on the abrupt closing of theatrical performances due to the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, but also highlights how people “behind the scenes” experienced such news. In particular, many of the stories are from the stage manager’s point of view which I find intriguing because that is my discipline. One phrase that stood out to me was when Alden Vasquez mentioned “I had to put on the stage manager face”. This is interesting because one of the many roles of a stage manager is to remain cool and collected no matter what obstacle is thrown at them but shows even some obstacles can rattle the most composed stage managers. In a way, this reminded me that we are all human and we were all devastated by the repercussions of this pandemic. The fact that this ensemble was given this news and then “15 minutes” later had to go on stage just goes to show that the “show business” culture is in fact present everywhere.
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